Ready Or Not
"Ready or Not" is the debut solo single by American singer-songwriter Bridgit Mendler, and is the lead single from her debut studio album, Hello My Name Is..., which is also one of the lyrics of the song ("Hello my name is...Bridgit...Nice to meet you"). It premiered on August 3, 2012 and was released as a digital download on August 7, 2012. The song was written by Mendler herself, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou and Evan "Kidd" Bogart. The song received positive reviews from music critics, praising the song's unique sound and also Mendler's vocals, which have been compared to Carly Rae Jepsen and Demi Lovato. The song debuted at number 98 at the US Billboard Hot 100, number 80 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 48 and at number 14 on the US Top Heatseekers chart and peaked at number 9. It also debuted at number 17 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming her first Top 20 hit internationally and peaked at number 12. It has so far sold 21,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. On October 17, 2012, Mendler tweeted that the song was certified Gold in Canada and on October 29, 2012, the song was certified Gold in New Zealand. Writing and composition In an interview with Kidzworld Media about what the song is about, Mendler said: "It’s a fun song about a girl who is feeling like she has been the wallflower her whole life and she wants to go out there and take charge. It has the romantic element of her going for the guy rather than waiting for the world to come to her. I wrote it with some great writers and producers. We wrote most of the album together". Mendler has spoken again, then, over the song: "I have been writing songs since I was six years old and I’m thrilled to finally share my songs with the world. I wanted to write something that was empowering for girls. I consider myself to have been that girl sitting on the curb waiting for the world to notice". It was also revealed that Mendler had written the song, with Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou and Evan "Kidd" Bogart as co-writers. It was said that the song is an "up-tempo pop track with a strong undercurrent of soul" and that the song features an interpolation of Fugees song, "Ready or Not". According to Popdust, they say that "every detail is where it should be, from the multi-tracked vocals on the chorus to the synth sound effects that provide punctuation and punchlines to the verses, to some of the more clever rhymes in the lyrics—which include pairing "Oprah" with "Boca" and "I’m like a crook tonight" with "I could be your kryptonite." The song cosists of "layers of synths and backing vocals adding a musical and emotional intensity totally absent from the carefree verses." Mendler's vocals span from A3-D5.The song is Promonantly pop song, with heavy influences of Reggae Fusion which is mixed with elements of up-beat soul music, lyrically explain someone on the hunt to find the person they've been looking for all their life, all while having fun and being free and independent, telling the listener she's "something else" and they better be "ready or not" because she's coming. Reception Critical reception The song received positive reviews from music critics. Although Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush rated the song 3 out of 5 stars, she was positive with her review, praising her vocals saying that "she sings it like she means it, like a girl with a crush on the prowl." She also praised the song's unique sound, saying that "even so, this is not a "throw ya hands up" dance jam fit for the drinking set. The song is all glistening, poppy rhythms and her lyrics mostly skew young, like 14 and under, even when she sings, (I like your face/Do you like my song?)". She then also praised the song's "reggae" part, saying that "she sounds cute." She concluded her review by saying that "overall, Ready or Not is a catchy – addictive, really — pop ditty that’ll get stuck in your brain, much like a splinter under your skin, whether you like it or not." Andrew Unterberger of Popdust was very positive with his review, saying that the song "is a playful, swinging and just impossibly catchy—the catchiest we’ve heard since our girl Carly Rae—pop number". He also praised Mendler's vocals and chorus. He concluded his review saying that "Will that out-of-placeness hurt the chances of Ready or Not becoming the smash it deserves to be, though? Well, it didn’t seem to hurt "Want U Back" any, so we’re hoping that people can see that this song is basically a smarter, more interesting and infinitely catchier version of that already-quite-good Cher Lloyd song. But it’s on all of us to spread the world that that song scraping the bottom of the iTunes chart isn’t just another kiddie-pop anthem from the latest made-for-Disney movie—it’s one of the best songs of the year, and one you’d have to be a pretty sullen sort of person to not love at least a little bit." Devin Alessio of Seventeen Magazine says that Mendler "is in line to be the next superstar off the Disney Channel". He praised her vocals, saying that "her sound is a mix between Carly Rae Jepsen and Demi Lovato" and described the music video as "super fun". He concluded that "or Not is a total girl anthem — perfect for listening to when you're just chilling with your friends or getting ready for homecoming." Chart performance The song debuted at number 98 at the US Billboard Hot 100. The song also debuted at number 80 on the Canadian Hot 100 and peaked at number 48, making it her second song to chart there. The song also debuted at number 14 on the US Top Heatseekers, her fourth song to chart there and peaked at number 12. It has also debuted at number 17 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming her first Top 20 hit internationally and peaked at number 12 and has sold 21,000 copies in its first week in United States. As of November 8, 2012 the single has sold over 290,000 in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. Music video The music video was directed by Philip Andelman and it filmed at multiple locations in Los Angeles, California. The official music video for the single premiered on Disney Channel on August 10, 2012. It shows the course of a scavenger hunt from day to evening, as items are checked off a list. As of November 2012, the video has garnered over 17.2 million views on Mendler's VEVO channel. Synopsis The music video starts with Mendler singing and hanging out with her friends at the top of Mulholland Drive. Then they drive off to start their "scavenger hunt". In the chorus, they are seen driving around Hollywood. Then they visit a restaurant called Hama Sushi in Venice, California and they all take a picture behind the sushi bar (which is one of their scavenger hunts). Then in the second verse of the song, they go to North Venice and Mendler is seen singing in a rowboat and all of them take a picture in the rowboat along with her. Then some of her friends are seen in a skate park where a person is skateboarding and jumps over a guy who is lying upwards (another one of their scavenger hunts). Then in the chorus again, they are seen hanging out downtown and in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the end, they are done with their scavenger hunt and they are seen in a rooftop partying. Lyric video The lyric video was released on Mendler's VEVO channel on August 3, 2012. The video starts with the camera showing Mendler's hands and grabbing a box and that was labelled "scavenger hunt". When she opens it, inside are pictures from the music video and below the pictures are the lyrics of the song. In the end, she closes the box and the label changes to the song title and leaves the box there. = Live performances Mendler performed the song at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre for the Family Channel’s Big Ticket Summer Concert in Toronto, Canada on August 26, 2012. She also performed at The Morning Show also in Toronto, Canada on August 27, 2012. Then she performed song on New Music Live in Toronto, Canada on August 28, 2012. She performed an acoustic version of the song at VEVO on September 25, 2012. Then she performed the song on Radio Disney on October 8, 2012. Bridgit also performed the song on Good Morning America on November 14, 2012. Mendler performed the song on Live! with Kelly and Michael on November 15, 2012. Mendler has also performed the song on The X Factor semi-final results show on December 13, 2012. Mendler then performed the song live at the Disneyland Resort. Bridgit Mendler - "Ready or Not" Bridgit Mendler performs "Ready or Not" live on The Morning Show Acoustic Bridgit Mendler Performs "Ready or Not" - THE X FACTOR USA 2012 Ready Or Not (VEVO LIFT Presents) Brought To You By McDo... Bridgit Mendler "Ready or Not" LIVE @ Best Buy Theater NYC 2013 HD Bridgit Mendler - Ready or Not Live at the Disneyland Resort-0 Lyrics References Category:Songs Category:Singles Category:Bridgit Mendler Category:Hello My Name Is... songs Category:Hello My Name Is... singles